I shot up, and scanned the room confused and dazed. I was in severe pain, my throat dry, my eyes felt as if they would explode, and my skin burned. This light, it was blinding, I saw nothing, heard nothing. I jump out of bed and ran towards my window, to find the source of the light. My bedroom door was kicked down.
Someone strong and aggressive grabs my arm. My skin, it burns so bad. I yelled, "Let me go! I want to see the light!" I turn around to see my father, tears in his eyes. This light is the source of all my pain but it is addictive, I need to have more of it.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I really am." I say, tears in my eyes. I need this light but somehow I feel if I go now, I'll never be back. I don't care though, I NEED this. I push off of my father and open the window.
I am grabbed once more. "No son! Resist the light, I know how badly you think you need it but you are not ready. I'M not ready. NO, I'm sorry, son," he swings his fist into my face and throws me atop his shoulder.
"D-dad, please? I need this. What's going on?"
"I'm getting you out of here."
He walks out of the room with me and heads for the stairs. We head down to the basement. Dad is angry and upset.
"I knew it! I knew those bastards wouldn't leave our family alone. What the hell do they want from me? I've devoted half my life to them."
"What are you talking about, Dad? Do you know who are what they were?"
There is no reply, my father is clearly angry. He looks at me with deep concern in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but the light got more powerful and brighter. The pull the light had on me was even stronger. I started fighting my dad.
"What's going on dad?" I asked.
I got away from his grip and ran for the door, but before i could open the basement door he grabbed me.
"Please son. Don't leave. Don't go towards that light. It's evil. The light, it will take your life away."
"You mean that it'll kill me?" I inquired, now worried for my safety.
"No son, I won't let them. I will kill them all before they lay a hand on 'MY' boy. You hear me son?" He smiled and place a hand on my shoulder.
"Yes sir," I nodded. But then it hit me. "Dad...?"
"Yes, Zachary?" Dad answered, nervous as if he knew what I was going to ask.
"Where's Mom and Allyson?" Dad cracked, his chin sunk into his chest as he bowed his head. He then fell to his knees.
"They're gone, I have failed to protect them." He said with a touch of sadness to his voice. But, he stood back up looking angry and vengeful. "BUT GOD SO HELP ME! You are going to make it out Zach. I will NOT die a failure.
I didn't know what to say or do. "What do you mean you "failed to protect them?" I said with anger in my voice.
"I was too late, they were already taken, I regret leaving the house, son. And I want you to know that I am so sorry, but they are not lost forever. I will give my life to insure that you make it out. Now, come on, son.”
“Wait, where are we going?” I ask.
“Anywhere, we just need to get as far as we can without them tracking us.” Dad replied.
“Them? Who are ‘them’?” I asked curiously.
He looked at me and said "That isn't important I-"
"Dad, this isn't the fucking time to be keeping secrets!" I yelled.
He looked at me with deep sincerity and a hint of anger. That was the first time that I'd ever said anything that disrespectful to him. He started to shake his head. When he looked back up his eyes met mine. I could see he had tears in his eyes.
"Dad, who are they, what are they."
He looked straight into my eyes. "They are-"
He was cut off by a loud boom in the door. What ever it was repeatedly tried to break in. My dad ran to barricade the door. Then it burst open with alot of force. Light poured into the house, and my dad stumbled backwards. The light was so powerful. I then saw a shadowy figure but i couldn't see it because of the light. I then started walking closer to it uncontrollably. I got outside the door and was blinded. I was then hit by something in the back of the head. The last thing i heard was my dad screaming.
"Nooo!!! Don't take my flesh and blood. Please, I’ll give you anything just please. I-"
Then, there was choking sound, I turned around and was shocked. The figure plunged a sword right through his chest. Dad placed both hands around the sword, wide-eyed shocked, and coughing up blood.
"Shut up! Just shut up, Elijah." The person mocked my father and placed a hand on his cheek. "You were always my favorite specimen, your rebellious behavior will ruin this entire operation. I'm sorry Eli, you know I won't hurt your boy. But you've got to die."
The strange man's arm grew large and strong. He placed his hand over Dad's face and picked him up by the head. One of Dad's eyes were visible, he looked at me with a sad failure look to his eye. Then, "crack", the man crushed my father's head in his hand.
"No! What have you done, you son of a bitch, I will kill you!" I ran towards him with my fist balled, but with a wave of his hand, I flew into the wall.
The force was so great that I could literally feel all of the bones in my body break. At this point, I am still alive and I don't understand how. The man smirks.
"Zachary, Zachary, Zachary, don't be a fool like your father. He was so blinded by rage and vengeance, you don't want that for yourself." He laughed a thunderous laugh.
"Are you the one who took my mother and sister?"
"Yes," he replied, "Yes I am. But, they are safe. I assure you."
"Take me to them," I grunt as I try to stand, but the pain is so great that I fall and collapse immediately. 'How am I not in shock from this pain yet?' I wonder.
"I'm keeping you alive and in good condition. We can't study tainted meat can we?" He smiles. “...but they are safe. I assure you.” He reaches out and says, “Take my hand.” I grab his hand and I black out.
☆☆☆
I awoke in a chair and was tied up. The man who had killed my father was organizing tools and placing them into drawers in the wall. I look around, the room is white, and every sound echoes for at least 12 seconds, or else I’m just dizzy. The room that we are in looks spherical made of tiles that are connected by glowing blue lines.
The first thing that I think of is escape and I wonder if I’m going to get out of this strange place. I also notice no exits. It seems like I’m stuck for now. I don’t know how I am to get out of here.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"We are on my ship of course." He replied.
“Where’s my family? You promised them to me.” I squirm and try to break my restraints. I look at them, these aren’t plain cuffs. These are actually nothing, I’m being restrained, but nothing is there, and the more I move, the harder it is to move.
“No, no, no, none of that. It isn’t necessary. I will release you soo-”
“I don’t give a fuck about what you do to me, I just want to be with my mom and sister.” I cut him off.
He smiles. “Yes, yes, family, if only you knew how insignificant love, friends, and FAMILY are.” he mocks. “They are nothing more than your weaknesses making you believe that you need those things. All that matters in the end is evolution, SURVIVAL. And there is no need to do anything to you, the deed is done.”
“Listen buddy, I don’t need your shit, I just want you to leave me the fuck alone, heal my dad with that magic bullshit you did on me to keep me alive. And leave me and my family the fuck alo-” I start to choke. There’s a force around my neck squeezing.
At this moment I realize, the reason I flew into the wall earlier is because of this guy. He must have telekinesis. Which is also why he doesn't need actual restraints to bind me down. I need to know who this man is and why he needs me.
“Listen, you little sick joke and disgrace of an ‘intelligent species’,” he continues. “I keep you alive, I spare your family, I give you power, and you DISRESPECT ME? I outa drag your family in here right now and kill them in front of you. It’s not like you can do anything.” As he gets angry, he flickers and becomes a giant beast.
His skin, it’s scaly and a pale green, his jaws bulge out really wide, his teeth are jagged and crooked. His eyes, yellow, and his giant tail slithers back and forth across the floor.
“You’ve made me lose my focus boy, well played.”
Another creature enters the room. He seems to just walk through the wall. speaks in some foreign language that doesn't sound earthly. The creature before me nods and starts to walk out.
“Hey! Ugly!” I call out, “Power? What are you talking about.”
“What do you feel?” He asks.
Then I realize, I am in no more pain. Just a moment ago, all of my bones were broken, there was not a bone in my body left intact. It felt like hell. Now, it’s just gone. “Nothing,” I reply.
“Precisely,” he answers and starts to head out.
“Wait!” I call once more. “How’d you heal me?”
“I did no such thing, I gave you the tools to heal yourself.” He exits through the wall along with the other creature, it’s my chance to escape. I jump off of the table and run toward the wall that I saw the two exit from. The sensation of walking through the wall makes me queasy, as if I’ve just shifted and my stomach hasn’t caught up yet. I look behind me and there is nothing there, just air.
“What the hell is going on tonight?” I ask out loud.
The creature re-appears in front of me. “-Nothing that you won’t understand in due time. Don’t you worry though Zachary, everything will be understood in due time, and once we have our answers, you may leave along with your family, and you will never encounter the Zibwikazu race again. That is a promise .”
Then, I have a sense of drowsiness, I can’t fall asleep now. No, no, no, this can’t happen. I don’t have enough answers, it’s not safe right now I tell myself. But it is too late, the tiredness makes me feel dizzy, i can’t fight it off. The drowsiness has won, and I fall to the floor.
